FNN Explores the Pacific Northwest: "Oh, No! Dark Clouds! Is a Hurricane Coming?"
Rated-T students meet Steve Forrester, the publisher of Astoria Oregon’s newspaper, the Daily Astorian. Oh, wait, they always look like that! I don’t need to use an umbrella? (Will I look like a tourist?)
Day 6: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 Read more entries from the Pacific Northwest Blog! Read about FNN's trip to Oregon in The Daily Astorian, featuring commentary and photos by FNN staff
My first thought when I arrived in Astoria was, “Oh, my God, it’s so beautiful.” The cold didn’t really bother me because I am a fall baby. The atmosphere was so relaxed and calm. The air was fresh and the rain was subtle and delicate. However, the wind was harsh. It felt as though I was being lifted from the ground. As we walked around the city I felt a sense of relief, like I could finally just breathe, and not struggle to breathe. It seemed as if the city had its own healing powers. Hearing the water took me to places in my thoughts where I had never been before. Everything was so laid back. The only noises that could be heard were the waves smashing against the rocks and the cars whizzing past. The view from my hotel room was breathtaking and I could hardly believe that I was lucky enough to witness such beauty. I felt blessed just walking down the street. I never knew a city could be so beautiful even in the rain. It was amazing. I don’t believe there is one person on Earth who could visit this city and not admire its striking beauty. A place like this should be talked about in high admiration... like the Bahamas. I’m sure some of the most beautiful sunsets have taken place here. Astoria will definitely be labeled as one of the most beautiful, tranquil places in America in my book.
-- Shaquanda Noble
When we first arrived in Astoria, Oregon, it was very cold and very wet, but a very beautiful place. Unfortunately, I wore flip-flops and my feet were freezing, but it was worth coming here. After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we drove to The Daily Astorian, Astoria’s newspaper and there we met Ms. Kaufman’s old friend, Steve Forrester, the publisher of the paper. He gave us a tour and we met two of the reporters--Cassandra Profita, who covers environment and business, and Deedra Schroeder, who covers education. We asked them a series of questions about the newspaper and also shared with them how our school's news network works and showed them our magazine, Rated-T, online. Steve took us to a little museum in the building, where he had a collection of pictures and newspapers of some of the older issues of the newspaper from when it first started, in the 1800s. He told us how he inherited the newspaper from his father, and grandfather, and how it has been passed down from generation to generation. Overall, I enjoyed myself and I was glad that we were able to visit a daily newspaper.
-- Courtney Shackleford
From my personal experience with the staff at the Daily Astorian, it seems like they have a really good working relationship with one another since it’s a really small company. For instance, when the whole town burned down back in the 1800s and then again when the town was hit with a hurricane-like storm a few years ago and the power was out, they still managed to get the newspaper printed and distributed. This says to me that the individuals that work for the newspaper are very dedicated to their jobs as journalists. It was amazing to see the photographs that have been captured by their photographers for many of the stories they have published. The composition, white balance, aperture, shutter speed and ISO had to have been set perfectly to capture those images. The one picture that stood out to me the most was a picture they had of a really long bridge that connects Oregon and Washington. It was kind of foggy and looked like the exposure time had been set to about maybe 5 seconds because you can see the light trail of the cars coming across the bridge. I tried to recapture that same picture but sadly I didn’t have a tripod or access to the same angle their photographer had. All in all, I learned a lot about the newspaper’s history, photographs and some history about the town.
-- Darin Davis
Just another knowledge brick added to my memory banks. The trip we made to see Steve Forrester at the Daily Astorian was pretty cool. When our FNN staff sat down with the two reporters from the Daily Astorian (Cassandra and Deedra) and Steve to have our roundtable discussion about what I assumed to be just getting to know each other, I felt so professional as we gave our introductions. After hearing our roles and such coming from our own mouths, it dawned on me that FNN was up with the big news dogs. So while I was there, it would only be fitting to ask a few questions.
As I badgered the Astorian’s reporters with questions, I noticed that even though they weren’t experts in the field they specialized in, their dedication was apparent, as every question was answered swiftly and accurately, with as little bias as possible. I think I could learn something from those ladies. As a matter of fact, I did! It was definitely refreshing talking to people who know what they’re talking about. But another good point was made when Deedra pointed out that, along with exposing the truth from people they report on, they must also maintain a relationship in order to keep those people talking next time around. Useful information that I can use to my advantage.
-- Karlton Chapman
Astoria is a unique place. There’s all types of stores, people and scenery. None of which I can honestly say I’ve come across before. For instance, shopping for a friend’s birthday present opened my eyes to Astoria’s atmosphere. Just by walking down the street one can tell this place has a history. The stores themselves tell stories from the step in, to the purchase of interesting trinkets sold by residents, to the step out. It’s that difference that Astoria brings to our trip -- it changes our perspective on what a town could and should be.
-- Maurice Williams